1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of small-scale mass transport, and the application of a voltage differential to controllably move atoms along a prescribed channel.
2. Related Art
Nanotechnology has been proposed previously for atomic scale assembly.1 Impressive nanofabrication capabilities have been demonstrated with scanning probe manipulation of atoms2-5 and molecules4,6 on clean surfaces. However, as fabrication tools, both scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopes suffer from a loading deficiency: while they can manipulate atoms already present, they cannot efficiently deliver atoms to the work area. Carbon nanotubes, with their hollow-cores and large aspect ratios, have been suggested7,8 as possible conduits for nanoscale amounts of material. Already much effort has been devoted to the filling of nanotubes8-11 and applications thereof.12,13 Furthermore, carbon nanotubes have been used as probes in scanning probe microscopy.14-16 If the atomic placement and manipulation capability already demonstrated by scanning probe microscopy could be combined with a nanotube delivery system, a formidable nanoassembly tool would result.
The present invention is also related to electromigration, a phenomenon of critical importance to the semiconductor industry.17,18 Electromigration causes failure of metallic components of highly-integrated electronic circuits.